Samsung announces Galaxy S5 with fingerprint scanner, coming in April

Samsung announced the Galaxy S5 Monday, saying the device will go on sale in the U.S. in April.

Samsung announced the Galaxy S5 Monday, saying the device will go on sale in the U.S. in April. (Samsung)

Salvador Rodriguez

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S5, the latest version of its flagship smartphone. The device includes a fingerprint scanner and will go on sale in April.

Unlike in previous years, when Samsung announced new Galaxy S models with larger and larger screens, this year the South Korean tech giant focused its presentation on a handful of key features.

Samsung said the Galaxy S5 will include a fingerprint scanner that can be used to unlock the phone and make mobile payments. If this sounds familiar, that's because Apple introduced a similar feature with the iPhone 5s when that device was announced last September.

The South Korean tech also said it has improved the camera on its flagship device by giving the gadget a 16-megapixel camera. Samsung claims the Galaxy S5 posses the fastest autofocus of any smartphone camera, taking just 0.3 seconds to center in on users' targets.

The Galaxy S5, which features a 5.1-inch HD screen, also comes with a longer-lasting battery. Samsung said users can get up to 21 hours of talk time from one charge. Users can also enable an "Ultra Power Saving Mode" that shuts down unnecessary features and turns the display into black and white, extending the device's battery life.

The new Galaxy flagship smartphone also comes with more fitness tracking features than previous Samsung devices, the company said. Among these is a built-in heart rate monitor.

Samsung also said the Galaxy S5 is equipped with IP67 dust and water resistance, making the device more durable than its predecessor. Samsung warned users from swimming with the Galaxy S5, but the company said that users don't have to worry if the device gets wet.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 will go on sale in the U.S. in April along with the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches and the Gear Fit, a fitness tracking device that Samsung also announced on Monday. Samsung did not say how much the Galaxy S5 will cost.